GUIDELINES FOR ADMISSION TO THE
EUCHARIST BETWEEN THE CHALDEAN CHURCH AND THE ASSYRIAN
CHURCH OF THE EAST

Given the great distress of many Chaldean and Assyrian
faithful, in their motherland and in the diaspora, impeding for many of them a
normal sacramental life according to their own tradition, and in the
ecumenical context of the bilateral dialogue between the Catholic Church and
the Assyrian Church of the East, the request has been made to provide for
admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church
of the East. This request has first been studied by the Joint Committee for
Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of
the East. The present guidelines subsequently have been elaborated by the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in agreement with the Congregation
for the Doctrine of Faith and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

1. Pastoral necessity

The request for admission to the Eucharist between the
Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East is connected with the
particular geographical and social situation in which their faithful are
actually living. Due to various and sometimes dramatic circumstances, many
Assyrian and Chaldean faithful left their motherlands and moved to the Middle
East, Scandinavia, Western Europe, Australia and Northern America. As there
cannot be a priest for every local community in such a widespread diaspora,
numerous Chaldean and Assyrian faithful are confronted with a situation of
pastoral necessity with regard to the administration of sacraments. Official
documents of the Catholic Church provide special regulations for such
situations, namely the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can.
671, §2-§3and the Directory for the Application of Principles and
Norms of Ecumenism, n. 123.

2. Ecumenical rapprochement

The request is also connected with the ongoing process of
ecumenical rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church
of the East. With the 'Common Christological Declaration', signed in
1994 by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV, the main dogmatic
problem between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church has been resolved.
As a consequence, the ecumenical rapprochement between the Chaldean Church and
the Assyrian Church of the East also entered a further phase of
development. On 29 November 1996 Patriarch Mar Raphaël Bidawid and Patriarch
Mar Dinkha IV signed a list of common proposals with a view to the
re-establishment of full ecclesial unity among both historical heirs of the
ancient Church of the East. On 15 August 1997 this program was approved by
their respective Synods and confirmed in a 'Joint Synodal Decree'.
Supported by their respective Synods, both Patriarchs approved a further
series of initiatives to foster the progressive restoration of their ecclesial
unity. Both the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical
Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity support this process.

3. The Anaphora of Addai and Mari

The principal issue for the Catholic Church in agreeing to
this request, related to the question of the validity of the Eucharist
celebrated with the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, one of the three Anaphoras
traditionally used by the Assyrian Church of the East. The Anaphora of Addai
and Mari is notable because, from time immemorial, it has been used without a
recitation of the Institution Narrative. As the Catholic Church considers the
words of the Eucharistic Institution a constitutive and therefore
indispensable part of the Anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer, a long and careful
study was undertaken of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, from a historical,
liturgical and theological perspective, at the end of which the Congregation
for the Doctrine of Faith on January 17th, 2001 concluded that this
Anaphora can be considered valid. H.H. Pope John Paul II has approved this
decision. This conclusion rests on three major arguments.

In the first place, the Anaphora of Addai and Mari is one of
the most ancient Anaphoras, dating back to the time of the very early Church;
it was composed and used with the clear intention of celebrating the Eucharist
in full continuity with the Last Supper and according to the intention of the
Church; its validity was never officially contested, neither in the Christian
East nor in the Christian West.

Secondly, the Catholic Church recognises the Assyrian Church
of the East as a true particular Church, built upon orthodox faith and
apostolic succession. The Assyrian Church of the East has also preserved full
Eucharistic faith in the presence of our Lord under the species of bread and
wine and in the sacrificial character of the Eucharist. In the Assyrian Church
of the East, though not in full communion with the Catholic Church, are thus
to be found "true sacraments, and above all, by apostolic succession,
the priesthood and the Eucharist" (U.R., n. 15). Secondly, the
Catholic Church recognises the Assyrian Church of the East as a true
particular Church, built upon orthodox faith and apostolic succession. The
Assyrian Church of the East has also preserved full Eucharistic faith in the
presence of our Lord under the species of bread and wine and in the
sacrificial character of the Eucharist. In the Assyrian Church of the East,
though not in full communion with the Catholic Church, are thus to be found "true
sacraments, and above all, by apostolic succession, the priesthood and the
Eucharist" (U.R., n. 15).

Finally, the words of Eucharistic Institution are indeed
present in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, not in a coherent narrative way and
ad litteram, but rather in a dispersed euchological way, that is,
integrated in successive prayers of thanksgiving, praise and intercession.

4. Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist

Considering the liturgical tradition of the Assyrian Church of
the East, the doctrinal clarification regarding the validity of the Anaphora
of Addai and Mari, the contemporary context in which both Assyrian and
Chaldean faithful are living, the appropriate regulations which are foreseen
in official documents of the Catholic Church, and the process of rapprochement
between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, the following
provision is made:

1. When necessity requires, Assyrian faithful are permitted to
participate and to receive Holy Communion in a Chaldean celebration of the
Holy Eucharist; in the same way, Chaldean faithful for whom it is physically
or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, are permitted to
participate and to receive Holy Communion in an Assyrian celebration of the
Holy Eucharist.

2. In both cases, Assyrian and Chaldean ministers celebrate
the Holy Eucharist according to the liturgical prescriptions and customs of
their own tradition.

3. When Chaldean faithful are participating in an Assyrian
celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Assyrian minister is warmly invited to
insert the words of the Institution in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, as
allowed by the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East.

4. The above considerations on the use of the Anaphora of
Addai and Mari and the present guidelines for admission to the Eucharist, are
intended exclusively in relation to the Eucharistic celebration and admission
to the Eucharist of the faithful from the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian
Church of the East, in view of the pastoral necessity and ecumenical context
mentioned above.

Rome, July 20th, 2001

ADMISSION TO THE EUCHARIST IN SITUATIONS
OF PASTORAL NECESSITY

PROVISION BETWEEN THE CHALDEAN CHURCHAND
THE ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity recently issued a document
entitled “Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Assyrian
Church of the East and the Chaldean Church”. This document has been
elaborated in agreement with the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The purpose of the article at hand
is to clarify the context, the content and the practical application of this
provision.

1. The Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of
the East

Since the very early times of Christian missionary activity, a flourishing local
Church developed in Mesopotamia or Persia. As this Church was situated
outside the eastern borders of the Roman Empire, it became commonly called the
“Church of the East”. In 1552, after a series of individual conversions
of bishops or provisional unions, part of the “Church of the East” entered
into full communion with the Apostolic See of Rome. Since then, the
particular Church in full communion with Rome has usually been called the
“Chaldean Church”, while the other particular Church took the name of
“Assyrian Church of the East”. Both particular Churches,
however, still share the same theological, liturgical and spiritual tradition;
they both celebrate the Sacraments or Sacred Mysteries according to the
East-Syriac tradition.

On November 11th, 1994 Pope John Paul II and Mar Dinkha IV, Patriarch of the
Assyrian Church of the East, signed a Common Christological Declaration[1]. This
Declaration removed the main doctrinal obstacle between the Catholic Church and
the Assyrian Church of the East. Both Church leaders declared: “Whatever
our christological divergences have been, we experience ourselves united in the
confession of the same faith in the Son of God who became man so that we might
become children of God by his grace. We wish from now on to witness
together to this faith in the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life,
proclaiming it in appropriate ways to our contemporaries, so that the world may
believe in the Gospel of salvation. (…) Living by this faith and these
sacraments, it follows as a consequence that the particular Catholic churches
and the particular Assyrian churches can recognise each other as sister
Churches.”

In their Common Christological Declaration, Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Mar
Dinkha IV also pledged themselves “to do everything possible to dispel the
obstacles of the past which still prevent the attainment of full communion
between our Churches, so that we can better respond to the Lord’s call for the
unity of his own, a unity which has of course to be expressed visibly”. For
this purpose they decided to establish a Joint Committee for theological
dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. This
Joint Committee started its regular activities in 1995; during its annual
meetings, it mainly dealt with questions of sacramental theology, in view of a
future “Common Statement on Sacramental Life”. The Common
Christological Declaration also paved the way for a process of ecumenical
rapprochement between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. Since
1994 Mar Dinkha IV and Mar Raphael I Bidawid, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church,
supported by their respective Synods, approved several initiatives to foster
the progressive re-establishment of ecclesial unity between their particular
Churches. This process is supported by both the Congregation for the
Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian
Unity.

Nowadays, many Chaldean and Assyrian faithful are living in a widespread
diaspora. Due to various and sometimes dramatic circumstances, they left
their motherlands (Iraq, Iran, Turkey) and moved towards the West. The
great majority of the Assyrian faithful now lives in the Middle East,
Scandinavia, Western Europe, Australia and North America; only a small minority
remains in the motherlands. Although a majority of Chaldean faithful
still lives in Iraq, about one third of them moved to the Middle East, Europe
and North America. Both the Chaldean and the Assyrian Church
are thus confronted, in various parts of the world, with a similar pastoral
necessity: namely that many faithful cannot receive the sacraments from a
minister of their own Church.

Given the great distress of many Chaldean and Assyrian faithful, in their
motherlands as well as in the diaspora, impeding for many of them a normal
sacramental life according to their own tradition, and in the ecumenical context
of the bilateral dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of
the East, the request has been made of a pastoral arrangement for admission to
the Eucharist, when necessity requires, between the Assyrian Church of the
East and the Chaldean Church.

2. The Anaphora of Addai and Mari

The principal issue for the Catholic Church in agreeing to this request, related
to the question of the validity of the Eucharist celebrated with the Anaphora of
Addai and Mari, one of the three Anaphoras traditionally used by the Assyrian
Church of the East[2].

This particular Anaphora must have originated in Mesopotamia, possibly in the
region of Edessa. There is no hard evidence for the dating of its final
redaction: some scholars situate it about the year 200, others in the beginning
of the 3th century, others in the course of the 3th
century. The Assyrian Church of the East highly respects this
Anaphora as an essential element of the apostolic heritage they received from
Addai and Mari, whom they venerate as two of the 72 disciples of Christ and as
the founding missionaries of their particular Church. The Anaphora of
Addai and Mari, however, as reproduced in the oldest codices retrieved, as well
as in the uninterrupted liturgical practice of the Assyrian Church of the East,
does not contain a coherent Institution Narrative. For many years,
scholars discussed which version of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari might have
been the original one. Some scholars argued that the original formula
of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari was longer and did contain an Institution
Narrative. Other scholars are convinced that the Anaphora of Addai
and Mari did not contain a coherent Institution Narrative and that the short
version is consequently the original one. Nowadays, most scholars
argue that it is highly probable that the second hypothesis is the right one. Anyhow,
this historical question cannot be resolved with absolute certainty, due to the
scarcity or absence of contemporary sources. The validity of the
Eucharist celebrated with the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, therefore, should not
be based on historical but on doctrinal arguments.

The Catholic Church considers the words of the Institution as a constitutive
part of the Anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer. The Council of Florence stated
“The form of this sacrament are the words of the Saviour with which he
effected this sacrament. A priest speaking in the person of Christ effects
this sacrament. For, in virtue of those words, the substance of bread is changed
into the body of Christ and the substance of wine into his blood” (D.H.
1321). The same Council of Florence also characterised the words of
the Institution as “the form of words [forma verborum] which the holy Roman
Church […] has always been wont to use [semper uti consuevit] in the
consecration of the Lord’s body and blood” (D.H. 1352), without
prejudice to the possibility of some variation in their articulation by the
Church. Although not having any authority as to the substance of the
sacraments, the Church does have the power to determine their concrete shaping,
regarding both their sacramental sign (materia) and their words of
administration (forma) (cf. CCEO, can. 669). Hence the doctrinal
question about the validity of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, when used in its
short version without a coherent Institution Narrative. Do the words
of administration (forma) correspond to the conditions for validity, as
requested by the Catholic Church? To answer this question, three
major arguments have to be taken into due consideration.

In the first place, the Anaphora of Addai and Mari is one of the most ancient
Eucharistic Prayers, dating back to the time of the very early Church and the
first liturgical regulations. It was composed and used with the clear
intention of celebrating the Eucharist in full continuity with the Last Supper,
in obedience to the command of the Lord, and according to the intention of the
Church. The absence of a coherent Institution Narrative represents,
indeed, an exception in comparison with Byzantine and Roman traditions, as
developed in the 4th and 5th century. This exception, however, may be
due to its very early origin and to the later isolation of the Assyrian Church
of the East. The validity of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, in fact, was never
officially contested.

The Assyrian Church of the East also uses two other Eucharistic Anaphoras, which are
some centuries more recent: the Anaphora of Nestorius, reserved to
five liturgical occasions, and the Anaphora ofTheodore of Mopsuestia, used from the beginning of the liturgical year till Palm Sunday, for
approximately sixteen weeks. The Anaphora of Addai and Mari, however, is
used during the longest and most important period of the liturgical year,
which goes from Palm Sunday till the end of the liturgical year and covers
about two hundred days. Moreover, the use of these three Anaphoras is not free,
as in the Latin tradition, but prescribed by the liturgical calendar. In conscience of faith, the Assyrian Church of the East was always convinced to
celebrate the Eucharist validly and so to perform in its fullness what Jesus
Christ asked his disciples to do. She expressed this conscience of
faith, whether using the Anaphora of Theodore of Mopsuestia, the Anaphora of
Nestorius or the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, independent from the fact that only
the first two Anaphoras, of later origin, contain the Institution narrative.It should be added that, for the period of the Catholic Patriarchate under
Patriarch Sulaka (1551-1662), no document exists to prove that the Church of
Rome insisted on the insertion of an Institution narrative into the Anaphora of Addai and Mari.

The Assyrian Church of the East also practices the so called sacrament or
mystery (Rasà) of Holy Leaven. From times immemorial, the Assyrian tradition relates that from the bread Jesus
took in his hands, which He blessed, broke and gave to his disciples, He gave
two pieces to St. John. Jesus asked St. John to eat one piece and to
carefully keep the other one. After Jesus' death, St. John dipped
that piece of bread into the blood that proceeded from Jesus' side. Hence
the name of “Holy Leaven”, given to this consecrated bread, dipped into the
blood of Jesus. Until this day, Holy Leaven has been kept and renewed
annually in the Assyrian Church of the East. The local bishop renews it
every year on Holy Thursday, mixing a remainder of the old Leaven within the new
one. This is distributed to all parishes of his diocese, to be used
during one year in each bread, specially prepared by the priest before the
Eucharist. No priest is allowed to celebrate Eucharist using eucharistic
bread without Holy Leaven. This tradition of the sacrament or mystery of
Holy Leaven, which precedes the actual Eucharistic celebration, is
certainly to be seen as a visible sign of historic and symbolic continuity
between the present Eucharistic celebration and the institution of the Eucharist
by Jesus.

Secondly, the Catholic Church recognises the Assyrian Church of the East as a true
particular Church, built upon orthodox faith and apostolic succession. The
Assyrian Church of the East also preserved full Eucharistic faith in the
presence of our Lord under the species of bread and wine and in the sacrificial
character of the Eucharist. In the Assyrian Church of the East, though not
in full communion with the Catholic Church, are thus to be found “true
sacraments, and above all, by apostolic succession, the priesthood and the
Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to us in closest intimacy” (U.R.,
n. 15).

Finally, it must be observed that the eastern and western Eucharistic Anaphoras,
while expressing the same mystery, have different theological, ritual and
linguistic traditions. The words of the Eucharistic Institution are indeed
present in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, not in a coherent way and ad
litteram, but rather in a dispersed euchological way, that is, integrated in
prayers of thanksgiving, praise and intercession. All these elements
constitute a “quasi-narrative” of the Eucharistic Institution. In the
central part of the Anaphora, together with the Epiclesis, explicit references
are made to the eucharistic Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (“O my Lord, in thy manifold and ineffable mercies, make a good and gracious
remembrance for all the upright and just fathers who were pleasing before thee,
in the commemoration of the body and blood of thy Christ, which we offer to thee
upon the pure and holy altar, as thou hast taught us”), to the
life-giving mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, which is
actually commemorated and celebrated (“that all the inhabitants of the world may know thee ... and we also, O my
Lord, thy unworthy, frail and miserable servants who are gathered and stand
before thee, and have received by tradition the example which is from thee,
rejoicing and glorifying and exalting and commemorating and celebrating this
great and awesome mystery of the passion and death and resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ”), to the eucharistic offering for the forgiveness of the sins, to the
eschatological dimension of the eucharistic celebration and to the Lord’s
command to 'do this in memory of me' (“And let thy Holy Spirit come, O my Lord, and rest upon this offering of thy
servants, and bless it and sanctify it that it my be to us, O my Lord, for the
pardon of sins, and for the forgiveness of shortcomings, and for the great hope
of the resurrection from the dead, and for new life in the kingdom of heaven
with all who have been pleasing before thee”). So the words of the Institution are not absent in the Anaphora of
Addai and Mari, but explicitly mentioned in a dispersed way, from the beginning
to the end, in the most important passages of the Anaphora. It is also
clear that the passages cited above express the full conviction of commemorating
the Lord’s paschal mystery, in the strong sense of making it present; that is,
the intention to carry out in practice precisely what Christ established by his
words and actions in instituting the Eucharist.

A long and careful study was undertaken of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, from
a theological, liturgical and historical perspective, at the end of which the
Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith on January 17th, 2001
concluded that this Anaphora can be considered valid. Pope John Paul II
subsequently approved this decision.

3. Pastoral provision

The Catholic Church provides special regulations for situations of pastoral
necessity, such as those the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Church
face today. The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. 671, §2
and §3,states: “If necessity requires it or genuine spiritual
advantage suggests it and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is
avoided, it is permitted for Catholic Christian faithful, for whom it is
physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the
sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic
ministers, in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.( …) Likewise Catholic
ministers licitly administer the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and
anointing of the sick to Christian faithful of Eastern Churches, who do not have
full communion with the Catholic Church, if they ask for them on their own and
are properly disposed”. The Directory for the Application of
Principles and Norms of Ecumenism, n. 123 and 125, gives the same
regulations.

This provision of the Eastern Catholic Church Law and the Directory
for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, can henceforth be
applied between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. When
necessity requires, Assyrian faithful are permitted to receive Holy Communion in
a Chaldean celebration of the Holy Eucharist; in the same way, Chaldean
faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic
minister, are permitted to receive Holy Communion in an Assyrian celebration of
the Holy Eucharist. In both cases, Assyrian and Chaldean ministers
should continue to celebrate the Holy Eucharist according to the liturgical
prescriptions and customs of their own tradition, especially regarding the use
of the Anaphora (cf. CCEO, can. 674, §2).

When Chaldean faithful are participating in an Assyrian celebration of the Holy
Eucharist, the minister of the Assyrian Church is warmly invited to insert the
words of the Institution in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari. This
possibility already exists in the Assyrian Church of the East. Indeed,
the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East, assembled in 1978 in Baghdad,
offered ministers in the Assyrian Church the option of reciting the words of the
Institution in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari. Although this option
does not affect the validity of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, it might have a
particular relevance from a liturgical, as well as an ecumenical viewpoint. From
a liturgical viewpoint, this might be an appropriate means to bring the present
use of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari into line with the general usage in every
Eucharistic Prayer both in the Christian East and in the Christian West. From
an ecumenical viewpoint, it might be an appropriate expression of fraternal
respect for members of other Churches who receive Holy Communion in the Assyrian
Church of the East and who are used, according to the theological and canonical
tradition of their proper Church, to hear the recitation of the words of the
Institution in every Eucharistic Prayer.

It should be noticed, that the present considerations on the use of the Anaphora
of Addai and Mari and the guidelines for admission to the Eucharist, are
exclusively concerned with the admission to the Eucharist between the Assyrian
Church of the East and the Chaldean Church. The Anaphora of Addai and Mari
pertains to the liturgical patrimony and ecclesial identity of the Assyrian
Church of the East, since time immemorial, and should remain so. The
Assyrian Church of the East cherished and respectfully transmitted this Anaphora
from age to age, avoiding any alteration or adaptation in its recitation, out of
respect for its venerable origin, traditionally related to the apostolic period. Because
each particular Church celebrates the sacraments according to its own
traditions, principles and norms, it would be liturgically improper to transfer
particular elements of one liturgical tradition into another liturgical
tradition. Liturgical traditions, indeed, are like languages,
having their particular vocabulary and grammar; essential elements from one
liturgical tradition cannot be transferred into another without taking from the
particularity of the first and harming the coherence of the second.

Conclusion

The present Guidelines have been transmitted to both H.H. Mar Dinkha IV,
Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East and H.B. Mar Raphaël I Bidawid,
Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The promulgation of this provision
between the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Church belongs to the
competence of both particular Churches and their respective authorities (cf.
CCEO, cann. 670, §1; 671, §4.5). Taking into consideration concrete
circumstances and conditions, they will have to establish particular procedures
and provide appropriate pastoral means to implement it.

This provision for admission to the Eucharist in situations of pastoral
necessity is not to be equated with full Eucharistic communion between the
Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. Although closely
related to one another in matters of faith and sacramental life, both particular
Churches are not yet in full communion. They are still travelling,
with hope and courage, towards that blessed day when full and visible communion
will be attained and when it will be possible to celebrate together in peace the
Holy Eucharist of the Lord. As Pope John Paul II wrote in his Encyclical
Letter Ut Unum Sint: “From this basic but partial unity it is now
necessary to advance towards the visible unity which is required and sufficient
and which is manifested in a real and concrete way, so that the Churches may
truly become a sign of that full communion in the one, holy, catholic and
apostolic Church which will be expressed in the common celebration of the
Eucharist” (UUS, n. 78).